Posts tagged ‘beadboards’

The hallway that bridges the space between the living area and the kitchen in the Apple House (named after the colour scheme—red kitchen, cream hallway and apple green living area) is home to two doors. One door leads to the main floor bathroom and the other door houses the pantry. Previous owners had dented the wall behind the door with less than gentle use of the door knobs. After it had been patched and sanded, I could still see where the door knob had marred the wall and it kind of drove me crazy. After months of rumination I came up with a cure-all plan to fix the wall, brighten the room and class up the eighties nature of the Apple House. Diy wainscoting ideas were just the fix!

Now, if this had been my forever house I would have done the proper beadboard tongue in groove treatment, plank by plank, so it would last forever, but the Apple House is a starter home and I wanted this done quick and fast. In fact, this whole project took less than $300 to complete, including the paint.

Panels of wainscoting are available at most hardware stores and come in a variety of patterns and styles. I chose a classic wainscoting look. It was paired with a thick decorative baseboard and topped with a simple chair rail to finish it. After installation the whole thing was painted bright white.

Back to the damaged walls…the height of the wainscoting can be altered a few inches here or there depending on the baseboards and chair rails you choose for finishing. My main objective was to both cover the marred walls and provide cushioning against the usage my own boys were about to unleash on the house! Not only does it look good but it feels like it opened the space up as it draws the eye about the hallway in a linear fashion making it appear wider and longer. All good things!

I love wall treatments. I could easily see using this wainscoting in a nursery with hooks added to it for displaying the cutest onesies. Or, with a wider chair rail you could place photos or artwork to spice up a foyer or a hallway.

After all is said and done, I am very happy with the results! Are there any areas you have hidden with diy wainscoting ideas?